92-year-old Osher Institute student says 'age is no deterrent' to education
Wade Wood and his daughter, Sally Wood, enjoy taking Osher Institute courses together.
BY HOLLY RODRIGUEZ
Media and Public Relations Officer
In the same year that Porky Pig made his theatrical debut, Parker Brothers released the board game Monopoly and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, Wade Wood first became acquainted with the University of Richmond.
“It was 1935, and I played football for the University of Maryland,” he says. “We lost a game, and I wondered ‘Who were these people from this school in Richmond?’”
He can laugh about it now, but says his team was shocked by the devastating defeat.
Wood later served as a radar specialist in the Army Air Corps in Italy during World War II, before beginning a career in the insurance business. In 1960, he moved to Richmond as head of Provident Life and Accident’s group department and became reacquainted with his former opponent when his oldest daughter enrolled here.
More than 40 years later, at 92, Wood himself attends Richmond as a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the endowed program that enriches the lives of area residents over 50 by involving them in campus academic, cultural and recreational life.
Wood isn’t seeking a degree, but enjoys taking as many classes as he can with his daughter, Sally Wood. “Age is no deterrent,” he says.
Wade Wood says he had never really thought about going back to school after retiring—he says he happily spent time meeting with friends and perfecting his golf game. But in his late 80s, he decided to hang up his golf clubs and dive into activities at his Lakewood Manor residence.
Sally Wood holds bachelor’s, master’s and law degrees from Richmond. The retired attorney convinced her father to take his first class with her two years ago.
“I’ve always said I’d like to be a glorified student if I could afford it,” she says. “Daddy and I just love to learn, and our first class was a course on Islam.”
In the past two years, the father-daughter duo has taken more than a dozen classes, studying environmental science, history, religion and dance. Wood’s wife also is a big proponent of education, he says, although she cannot attend classes due to arthritis.
Wade Wood says the Osher Institute removes any fear of not fitting in with the largely young UR student body. “The atmosphere there makes you feel so much at home,” he explains.
While many of his contemporaries spend their days fighting ailments and complaining about old age, Wood dances to rock n’ roll, discusses literature and studies the Qu’ran. Sally Wood says her father actively participates in classes.
“When the professor asks questions, Daddy is prepared to answer.”
In true scholarly fashion, both Woods even contribute to the body of knowledge. After taking a course about Mali, they individually contributed to a textbook about the country for sixth-grade students.
The pair are taking a half dozen courses during the spring semester, including, “The Wacky World of the American Legal System” and “The Clash of Three Monotheisms.”